Home office has become necessary due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Being at home doesn't mean your mental health can't suffer the same daily blows as it would at an office.
Researchers Laura Giurge and Vanessa Bohns published a piece in Harvard Business Review with tips on how to keep your mind healthy and avoid Burnout syndrome during the home office period. According to them, part of the problem is the pressure you put on yourself to produce while away from your bosses, which increases your stress and working hours.
Let's get to them?
- Keep boundaries between your personal and professional life
The human mind uses several markers to determine when you're "working" and when you're "resting." These usually involve actions related to the work routine. A clear example is the commute from home to the workplace, as well as the clothes you wear.
When using home office, these markers are lost, blending what is personal with what is professional. That's why it's important and recommended to maintain this separation while working from home. Even at home, follow your daily routine: read the day's news, change your clothes, keep your regular schedule, etc. It's also a good idea to add something to your day to replace the daily commute, such as light exercise, for example.
- Be clear about your time
Being at home can bring you responsibilities that wouldn't exist in a normal workday. This is especially true for those with children, who are also at home because of the coronavirus.
The researchers believe it's best to have a clear separation between work and home life. Suggestion: create a more flexible work schedule, dedicating a few hours of the day to your kids, or helping with household chores.
- Focus on what matters
Home office is not the time to worry about trivial matters. According to Giurge and Bohns, the concern with keeping up appearances of being at work leads employees to worry about tasks that take a lot of time but may matter very little.
Although focusing on smaller things may help in the short term, it negatively affects the long term and can cause Burnout. So the best approach is to focus on bigger, more important tasks.
Work hours have never been so fragmented. That's why paying closer attention to more important tasks can help you focus and handle your time at home more calmly.
“Workers who are ‘on’ all the time are at greater risk of Burnout when working from home compared to working in the office,” conclude Giurge and Bohns. “We need to find new ways – and help others do the same – to create time away from work and mental space.”
